Being FI artist (Questions)

[malu05_vb]

Being FI artist

Ok. After reading trough all the posts in here I can see that it takes a hell of good luck and a hell of good experience to be a Flame and Inferno artist [well also flint but i have some questions just for FI]

Well suddenly you are just there, in a big major VFX facility somewhereÂ… well I just wondered. You all say that it is client based (client watches the result screen 👿 ), well what if there is this effect there is very difficult to accomplish and you know that it will take a whole lot of time to find the right result? What do you do then? Just let the client sit and waste his money will the operator sits and try out all his ideas or is there some kind of work between the vfxsupervisor and the operator to solve those problems?

Well also I wonder have is the crashing statistic on Flame Flint and Inferno? I can just imagine you are almost finish with one of the final shots to (should we say LOTR 4 😆 ) and then it all goes downÂ… well I guess there is a auto saving function ore something about that online edit???

And is it a stress work? I can imagine a client sitting and breathing in my neck but after my opinion, “I donÂ’t care” ❗ .

Well and then my all time favorite question, are there many compositors in the world of many there want to be it… I know its hard to find an answer but unlike 3d there is only a very few websites, training stuff, and schools offering know how, faq’s and training! Also when someone asks me “what are you going to do after school and what kind of job do you want”
A say compositor and then this funny look in their face and they say “A WHAT??? 😯 ” seriously, no one I have ever said it to did know what it wasÂ…
And you never hear about it in the TV, magazines, radioÂ… never!
Well mabe itÂ’s like matrixÂ…. Its only for the people who finds itÂ…Â…. or? naaahhhhhhh

well I got some more questions but I can remember them right now, so I catch up! 😉

[Anonymous]

malu05 wrote:

Being FI artist

Ok. After reading trough all the posts in here I can see that it takes a hell of good luck and a hell of good experience to be a Flame and Inferno artist [well also flint but i have some questions just for FI]

Well suddenly you are just there, in a big major VFX facility somewhereÂ… well I just wondered. You all say that it is client based (client watches the result screen 👿 ), well what if there is this effect there is very difficult to accomplish and you know that it will take a whole lot of time to find the right result? What do you do then? Just let the client sit and waste his money will the operator sits and try out all his ideas or is there some kind of work between the vfxsupervisor and the operator to solve those problems?
:

Often you will have the client for part of the day, and then say “I’ll need some time to do this – let me develop up some looks and show you… come back in x hours.. or – If you can excuse me for a hour or so I have some magic number stuff to do in my head to work this out, so hang here if you want but I may be a bit preoccupied for the next little while….” etc

malu05 wrote:

Well also I wonder have is the crashing statistic on Flame Flint and Inferno? I can just imagine you are almost finish with one of the final shots to (should we say LOTR 4 😆 ) and then it all goes downÂ… well I guess there is a auto saving function ore something about that online edit???:

it is rare to lose work- the desktop and setups such as batch have autosave features, it does happen but it is not normally too bad… I do save a lot …force of habit I guess

re the stress:

It can be stressful… but if they are experienced they know it takes time… having said that.. it is hard to learn on the job 🙂

malu05 wrote:

Well and then my all time favorite question, are there many compositors in the world of many there want to be it… I know its hard to find an answer but unlike 3d there is only a very few websites, training stuff, and schools offering know how, faq’s and training! Also when someone asks me “what are you going to do after school and what kind of job do you want”
A say compositor and then this funny look in their face and they say “A WHAT??? 😯 ” seriously, no one I have ever said it to did know what it wasÂ…
And you never hear about it in the TV, magazines, radioÂ… never!
Well mabe itÂ’s like matrixÂ…. Its only for the people who finds itÂ…Â…. or? naaahhhhhhh

I learn by talking to other seniors, online and fxguide of course

Mike
Co-founder

[paul_round]

Client attendance also depends on what kind of work you are doing, back when I worked in commercials it was quitw common for you to have a whole room of clients, agency people, production people and editors. Also depending on the type of work involve, it may be to boring, then the clients may suggest they might pop out for a bit, or I may suggest they come back in a few hours.In films things are different, you can sometimes go for weeks without seeing any clients.
You think being called a compositor is confusing, be glad you weren’t around in the days of Harry, I forget the number of times a car insurance company would ask, “what’s a Harry operator?

Paul
Peerless

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I just label myself “designer” now because it’s vague enought that they just go “oh…” and the conversation moves on…

And my experience w/ client stuff has been pretty decent. The thing to remember is to stay calm and remind yourself that they are paying you. If you have that in mind, even menial tasks become much more tolerable. For the most part clients understand that stuff takes time, and so long as they feel you are showing them what they ask, it goes well. It can be stressful as you are in a time crunch and being watched, but is very satisfying to have a room full of people thanking you at the end of the day.

[Anonymous]

If I could just be so rude as to tack on a related question directed to all the FFI compositors here, what sort of quality of life does the average compositor enjoy? Do the hours allow you ample time with family and friends? And does the territory come with any industry-related health issues like eyesight strain or RSI?

(I know the answers will probably vary widely dependent on the workplace, but I’m curious what your personal experiences are – lately I’ve seen too many people hit retirement only to be hit with cancers and life threatening health issues not to give the issue some serious thought)

[sinancg]

Personally, I think compositing is some sort of game where on each job you need to find a solution to a difficult puzzle, and enjoy the fact that they are paying me to play games.

Yes some games are very hard to finish, and the fact that the clients’ money is flowing while you’re trying to solve it is a stress factor, but that’s the rule of the game.

I usually start the work with the director, getting their ideas and deciding on a specific effect, then we carry on with the assistants for a while. Nearing the end I have the director, sometimes the producer and the agency guys (god forbid) while doing late nights.

This brings us to the quality of life. Yes there are long hours and days at end for commercial work. But it pays at the end with, well money first and then the satisfaction of seeing your work on air and bragging a little. Like saying “Hey, my recent showreel is on air” when watching tv with friends.

Regards,
Sinan Vural

[Anonymous]

Yossarian wrote:

If I could just be so rude as to tack on a related question directed to all the FFI compositors here, what sort of quality of life does the average compositor enjoy? Do the hours allow you ample time with family and friends? And does the territory come with any industry-related health issues like eyesight strain or RSI?

Depends on the week. I have weeks where I leave early every day and have little to do while at work. Then to make up for it (and to justify my salary) I get hit with 100 hour weeks back to back. For the most part I manage with little issue keeping up w/ friends and the like. That said, most of my friends work in TV/Film, so everyone is pretty understanding when you can’t hang out for weeks on end. It can be trying on relationships during the long weeks.

Physical stuff like eyestrain is something to be aware of, but if you look away from the monitor and remember to blink it seems fine. In the three years since I have been doing this my vision hasn’t gotten any worse according to my last eye exam. RSI doesn’t seem to be (at least to me) much of a problem since most of the work is pen-based and not mouse clicks over and over, or tapping keys all day.

[Author]

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